1/ People (I included) lament the amount of "tribalism" in politics these days. I get the sense that we all mean pretty much the same thing when we use the term. Yet the term itself isn't quite right . . .
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2/ If "tribalistic" politics resembles the mindsets and habits of actual tribal people, then it is only when they are at their very worst. Mostly tribal peoples deal with conflict better than people do when they argue politics on Twitter . . .
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3/ In some ways it's not fair to actual tribal groups to call it "tribalism". Yet we need a name for this thing that people do when they discuss politics in a high strung and severely biased manner...
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4/ "Clannishness" has close to the same meaning. Though, again, most clans probably resolve conflict better than people do on Twitter. What happens in modern political discourse is more like clannishness without any ancient customs or adults around to moderate conflict...
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5/ I do think we all know roughly what is meant by "tribalism" in the modern context. But it might be worthwhile to make some of that explicit. Then we might be able to come up with a better term for it...
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6/ So, what do you think? What are the primary symptoms of "tribalism"? And, ideally, what name would you give to the syndrome?
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Replying to @Evolving_Ego
I think the term is used to highlight the aspect of tribal societies where in-group/out-group boundaries are very important to them. two tribes living in the same valley, identical in most ways except for (from outsider perspective) small and low consequence differences
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but I agree with you that it is disrespectful to actual tribal cultures to label our own dysfunction this way, even though it's a kind of social rhyme. factionalism or even sectarianism might be better words.
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Replying to @danlistensto
Yeah, those are better. "Tribalism" is probably popular because it hints at social dynamics (which are definitely part of the syndrome), and it hints at the idea that we are "wired by evolution" to engage in it. Your terms preserve at least the hint at social dynamics.
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